FIPA undertakes major new project on automotive telematics and privacy

Thanks to funding from the federal Privacy Commissioner’s Contributions Program, FIPA is launching a year-long study to examine the effect of electronic monitoring systems in our vehicles, on our privacy rights and consumer choice.

Our vehicles are no longer simple mechanical devices which provide us with transportation, but electronic platforms capable of remarkable feats. This means that they collect and process large amounts of information, much of which is personal information and some of it highly sensitive.

For decades, vehicle manufacturers have been using ever-increasing amounts of electronic technology to run the systems that provide more powerful, yet economical powerplants, not to mention electronic amusements and diversions. Now the growing use of telematics by vehicle manufacturers and insurers raises significant privacy concerns, including:

• To what extent will automobile owners and drivers have choice over how and when their vehicles are being tracked?
• What happens when use of telematics becomes industry norm? Will those who opt out for privacy reasons have to pay a premium to maintain their privacy? Or will that option simply disappear?
• Will consumers be able to make truly informed decisions if the choice is between concrete benefits and real but elusive risks?
• Are there viable alternatives to what the automobile and insurance industries are developing that can provide the benefits consumers seek while not sacrificing their rights?

The lead researcher for the study will be Philippa Lawson, a well-known lawyer with considerable experience in both privacy and consumer law. The project is conducted in collaboration with Prof Andrew Clement and the New Transparency: Surveillance and Social Sorting project at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner announced the funding of our project earlier today in Ottawa.